


Displaced: Learning to Live

by Vampykitty_kun



Series: Displaced 'verse [2]
Category: Batman (Comics), Batman - All Media Types, DCU - Comicverse, DCU Animated, Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Consensual Underage Sex, Dimension Travel, M/M, Time Travel
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2013-06-10
Updated: 2014-05-23
Packaged: 2017-12-14 12:54:15
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 4,590
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/837109
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vampykitty_kun/pseuds/Vampykitty_kun
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Direct continuation of ‘Severing the Ties’</p><p>YJ Dick is sent to pre-reboot comic earth (5 years after the end of pre-reboot plot)</p><p>There he must learn to live with the fact that he became Batman, despite his feelings on the matter, that Babs is paralyzed, Bruce has a biological son, Tim is no longer Robin (nor Red Robin for that matter) and Jason is alive...and on the wrong side of the law.</p><p>All while still trying to cope with what happened before his arrival.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [](https://archiveofourown.org/gifts).



Of all things that could have happened on a Friday night, Damian surely had not expected for things to get so… strange.

“Ya know, it would be nice if you would stick close every once and a while Little D.”

“ _Grayson_ -“ The teen growled in warning, eyes narrowing as his grapple hit home and he swung widely.

“I mean, it wouldn’t kill you to spend some time with little ol’ me would it? Do you really have to be so far ahead? Come on kiddo!”

Damian sucked in a large breath through his nostrils, not gracing the man with an answer. He could visualize the pout on Dick’s face, clashing harshly with the cowl, as he flipped onto the rooftop three streets back.

It was not his fault if the man took things too slow for his liking. With the weekend starting, Gotham could become a hell hole at the blink of an eye, and he would be prepared whilst Dick had his head in the clouds.

Dick’s sigh echoed through his ear as he touched down on the next street, balancing atop a light pole.

It was unbelievably cloudy, foreshadowing an eventual storm that would surely hit mid patrol, and Damian sucked in a deep breath, watching the smoke of his breath drift past his face as he exhaled. Even after five long years of leaping across rooftops as Robin he would never get tired of it…

Batman touched down behind him, casting the slightest of breezes, barely enough to make his cape shift. He grunted in displeasure as a gauntlet clad hand reached up to clasp his shoulder. A gesture of fondness he supposed. One of which he shrugged off.

“Stop being clingy in the field, _Batman_.”

At this he received a small smile, but all the same, Dick withdrew his hand.

“Seriously though, _Robin_ , can’t you take it a tiny bit slower for once? It’s not like you’re going to miss anything just by having a touch of patience.” He chuckled, pulling his cape down around himself.

“Says you… even thirty seconds could be the difference between catching the enemy and them escaping. Could you _\- although this might be a foreign concept for you_ , actually keep up for once? Tt…”

The rest of the night carried on just the same, as always, the two flying through the sky in pursuit of Gotham’s ugliest, busting petty criminals along the way all the while bantering with one another during slow points.

Over the years the partnership between this reversed Batman and Robin had only grown closer. Dick had learned to deal with his new role, slowly but surely, and Damian had managed to lighten up some under the man’s influence. Dick could only be reminded of the good ol’ days when Bruce was a far cheerier person, and he was the one with a golden cape billowing behind him in the breeze.

As Damian had suspected- _known_ , it had begun to rain just past 2am, and as he sat perched upon a roof edge watching the streets below, he had his cape drawn around him and hood pulled up over his head as the steady flow of droplets pelted his body.

Dick was across the way, down on the street wrapping up an encounter, zip-tying and securing the men he had earlier beaten into submission with his staff while _Batman_ had been concerned with the gang’s head.

A particularly loud clap of thunder sounded, the boom vibrating the rooftop as a crack of lightning filled the sky, and Damian yawned in boredom, moving to leap down onto the street below and join his partner.

Only he never made it that far…

Another booming, explosive crack of thunder sounded, and the sky lit up as electricity shot through the sky, far too close for comfort. He paused on the edge, glaring up at the night sky and the storm raging up above, only to freeze.

Something was just clearly not right, for lighting typically shot across the sky, not swirled like it was currently doing some fifty feet up.

Of course, Dick was far too busy below to notice such an occurrence, so he was left to stare wide eyed at the display by himself.

And as quickly as the swirling flash of light appeared, it was gone… and had Damian not been so focused upon the spectacle, he might have missed it.

But fortunately for all, he did not… instead, his stomach lurched as he watched the scene play out. One moment there was near blinding light, and in the next all that was left was the light from the city… and a lone figure freefalling from the sky above him. But while such a sight was already alarming, what really made him freeze was the bright splash of blue across the form’s chest.

He was not sure how, or why, but that simply did not matter… he jolted forward, leaping out into open air to collide with the battered, limp form, preventing him from hitting the pavement as he rolled them into a rough, far from painless landing, crashing into the empty metal trash bins lining the curb.

The loud smash of metal, and the sight of the rolling bins jolted Dick into alert, eyes flittering beneath the cowl in search of his Robin.

But he had not expected to see the teen hovering and fussing over a beaten drenched mass of familiarity.

He dropped the strips in hand, unconcerned with the possibility of the last thug potentially slipping away as he raced towards the pair on the ground.

As he stood over Damian, and the teen- _man?_ before him, an eye fluttered open beneath a shattered portion of domino, and he sucked in a sharp breath.

He was staring down into bright blue. _His_ bright blue, the eyes he saw everyday as he looked into the mirror each morning.

The ‘Nightwing’ upon the ground sputtered and twitched, clenching his jaws as a ragged hiss escaped his cracked lips. Dick could feel his heart racing in his chest as crouched down beside _himself_ , an odd notion to begin with, watching as eyes locked onto his form and widened in flustered, confused shock.

“B-Bru..ce?”

And with that there was no longer any doubt in Dick, or Damian’s minds as to the identity of this young man, and while Dick began cataloguing injuries, and attempted to subdue the dazed Nightwing, Damian was urging Alfred to prepare the med bay… and his nerves.


	2. Chapter 2

Damian found himself down in the cave the next morning long before Dick was even capable of coaxing himself out of bed.

Alfred had been up all night, tending to the _second_ Nightwing, fussing over his injuries and patching him up.

When he slipped into the med bay behind the old man, both occupants of the room turned their heads towards him.

The Nightwing, _Dick_ , no longer clad in black and blue (unless counting his flesh) looked weary, tired and confused as he watched Damian step into view.

“Pennyworth, report please. Surely you know more than we did several hours ago.”

“Indeed…” Alfred sighed, taking a seat beside the bed. “Young Master Richard has come a _very_ long way, and the situation that brought him to us has been far less than pleasant I am afraid.”

“You have cataloged his injuries?”

“Yes, most extensive, unfortunately. Notably several cracked ribs, a fractured skull, among the plethora or cuts and deep bruises.  Fortunately the head injury was not overly severe, and Master Richard’s memory is intact, as well as his motor functions.”

“And how is it that he came to be here?”

“Can we please stop talking as though I’m not right here? Really not in the mood…” The bed ridden form grumbled, causing them both to look at him.

Damian huffed.

“Grayson, _honestly_ , how the hell did you manage to not only get transported to an alternate Earth, but into the future as well? Only you could manage such a screw up.” The teen scoffed, eyeing the younger Dick warily.

The young man did not look amused in the slightest.

“Now, now Damian… whilst Master Dick may be used to your… _eh_ … brashness, Young Master Richard is not. Please attempt some tact in this dire situation.” The old man scolded, frown firmly planted on his face.

Damian snorted.

“If I _must_ … for now at least. If this is to become a permanent or long-standing arrangement he will have to adapt regardless.” He sighed, casting a side glance at Dick. “I expect him to give a full, detailed report the moment he is capable. Until then, things shall carry on as normal and you may find me in the kitchen seeking sustenance.” Damian sighed rolling his eyes as he turned on his heel and exited the area.

Alfred could only sigh and shake his head sadly.

Dick on the other hand frowned.

“What’s his problem? Did I do something before I blacked out and woke up in the twilight zone?”

Alfred managed a weak smile.

“I’m afraid that Master Damian is a… _unique_ individual. I am sure you will become accustomed to his presence with time.”

Dick was not sure whether or not he should trust Alfred on that one…

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

“I’m Batman.” Dick muttered, shaking his head in disbelief. “I’m _Batman_.”

“Hey, not always! Bruce is still Batman full time, we’re just…. _Gotham’s_ Batman. Most of the time. Bruce is Batman when he’s in town, and during those nights I still throw on the good ol’ black ‘n blue, for old time’s sake.” The man gave an awkward smile, patting his younger self on the back. “Sure, I miss being Nightwing full time, but it’s not so bad… honest.”

“I never wanted to be Batman. _Ever_.”

“Admittedly neither did I. But things happen for a reason. Gotham _needed_ a Batman. After much chaos, avoidance, and pestering, I stepped up to the plate.” He sighed, running a hand through his hair. “Besides… it was good for Damian. I like to think he needed me just as much as Batman needs a Robin.”

The younger Dick only groaned, covering his face.

“God… don’t remind me.” He whined. “Bruce has a kid. A legit- well… _not_ so legit ‘blood’ son. With Talia. _Talia_. There is literally a tiny Bruce glaring at me right now. So not whelming…”

The older man turned to Damian and shot him a scolding look.

“Trust me, he was a surprise for _all_ of us. It was a rough start, but eventually we all adjusted. You will too. He may not like to admit it, but he actually likes _us_.”

“ _Tt_.”

Dick could only roll is eyes at his Robin.

“Still… Bruce has a son- who is _Robin_. Where’s Tim- you _do_ know a Tim right?” He groaned, looking to his elder for guidance.

“Drake has-“

“ _Retired_. Tim is retired Dick.” The man shot Damian a sharp look as he interrupted. “The how and why is not important right now. He stopped being Robin when Damian came into the roll, and took on another identity- _Red_ Robin, for a year or so before he hung up his cape for good. He is alive and well and…and happy…” He sighed, expression falling.

Although Dick may have suffered a head injury, got thrust forth through time, and even though he may have been dropped onto an alternate Earth, he still surely knew when he was lying. It was _him_ after all. Still, it hardly seemed worth the effort to pry. For he also knew that he was good at keeping secrets even long after they should be told. He would have to investigate the matter further on his own time. When he could muster up enough strength to leave the bed, of course.

“And Babs? The team?”

“The… team?”

“I…we had a team, of young heroes. A young Justice League. Did the team not come about on this Earth?”

The older man frown, cocking his head.

“Perhaps he means the Titans, Master Dick?” Alfred suggested.

“Oh… well, in that case, the team is off at their base. I haven’t been a member in years, not since Tim took over leadership when he became Robin. When Tim stopped being Robin he sort of… unofficially quit. He got involved from time to time for a bit. Damian dabbled with the team a few times but it just wasn’t for him.”

“You… _led_ the team?” The younger man paled, gripping the sheet at his sides.

“Yeah, I guess that sort of happened due to me being Batman’s sidekick. The team started with just me, Roy, Garth, Wally, and Donna.”

“Wait… but that’s so- what about _Kaldur_? M’gann? Superboy? …Artemis?”

Dick gave him a sad, worried look.

“Can’t say we’ve ever had a Kaldur… or Artemis. Sorry…but… Superboy is on the team now, unless he’s backed off as of late. Couldn’t say. I’ve been out of the loop for a while now as I’ve pretty much stayed in Gotham for the most part. Bruce handles everything else. Now, M’gann was around for a while too, but ultimately she went off to do her own thing.”

“Um…and Cassie? Garfield, Jaime, and Bart?”

“Wonder Girl was team leader last I had heard. Gar was a part of the team during my time. Jaime, the blue Beetle was a part of the team for a time, but went off Earth with some other Beetles to stop the Reach threat-“

“The Reach!?” He yelped. “Were they defeated? Did they come to earth- what hap-“

“Master Richard, _heavens_ , please lay back down!” Alfred gasped as the younger man flung upwards, and Dick crossed the distance to the bed to pin his younger self down.

“No, you don’t understand! The Reach are why I‘m here, they’re trying to take over- _the team_! They have the entire team, and I have to… I have to… _did you_?” He slurred, shooting himself a betrayed look before slumping back against his pillows.

Dick sighed and pulled the syringe from the younger man’s thigh, a sad, sympathetic look upon his face.

“Sorry pal, but… you’ll only aggravate your injuries and give Alfred a heart attack if you try flying out of bed like that. We can try and figure out a way to help you when you’re able to get out of bed without hurting yourself. _If_ we can get you home, and… I _can’t_ make any promises, given that this is a complex situation, I promise that we’ll help in any way we can. But for now? Just get some sleep Dick. Rest up and in no time you’ll be as good as new.”

The younger of the two could only manage a weak glare as he drifted off into unconsciousness.

“This is going to be a rough first few days for him… the differences in events, line-ups even, between the two worlds are pretty intense. I can’t even imagine what’s to come…” Dick muttered, tossing himself into the nearest chair to hang his head in his hands.

“Tt… telling secrets will get you nowhere. I find it amusing that you don’t even seem to know yourself.” The teen sighed, folding his arms across his chest.

“I’m probably going to regret asking… but what do you mean Damian?”

“You over react. You withhold vital information in hopes of sparing those around you pain, yet inadvertently end up causing things to worsen with each twist of words. Do not think for an instant that you two are so very different. You and _Dick_ are still the same person, with the same values, the same triggers. The same _sensitivities_. You are only making things worse by sheltering him from things such as Drake.” He yawned, leaning back lazily against the wall.

Dick looked astonished.

“Aww _come on_ Dami? You’ll call _him_ by his actual name, and me, who you’ve known soooo much longer, gets stuck with ‘Grayson’ for all eternity?”

“I had very little choice in the matter. I _could_ have just called you ‘Thing One’ and ‘Thing Two’. Would that have been more satisfactory?” The teen rose an eyebrow.

Dick’s pout was comical.

“Honestly Grayson… are you going to shelter him from everything? What about Todd? Gordon?”

Dick froze.

“Wait… what?”

“Todd. He would not have come back yet, to Gotham, if he even _is_ coming back in his world. Gordon? He asked where she was, implying that she should be with us, on _patrol_ in the cave. It seems unlikely that she is chair bound where he is from.”

“No… you don’t really think-“

“I do. So chose your words carefully. Because lying to yourself is one thing, but literally lying to _yourself_ is another. Speak the truth, because I am _not_ going to bite my tongue when prompted, simply because you are being protective of those who do not need it.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Haven't updated this in a year almost and looking back, the first 2 chapters could use some touch ups, but I'll get around to that later.
> 
> Happy Birthday Effi!

Dick made a point of giving them the silent treatment for several hours after he awoke. Even when he had finally let up on it he still pointedly ignored his older self in punishment for sedating him.

Admittedly Dick felt bad for the kid. Tossed across time and dimensions, into a world where he was everything he never wanted to be- with _people_ he never would have thought existed, and when he over reacted he was knocked out by the very person who should _know_ how much it would upset him. So he honored his silent request for space and sat a nice distance away trying to figure out how to break several sorts of bad news to himself.

In the end, he probably took the coward’s way out, and decided it was best to hear it straight from the horse’s mouth.

He called Babs.

And after a very lengthy conversation with the red head, who did go back and look at the footage of the young Nightwing’s arrival, she decided to make the trek out to the manor.

To say that things went poorly would be an understatement. For the bed bound Dick Grayson was mortified as she came rolling into the room.

“I’ve heard you have had quite the trip Dick. That was some entrance last night. Hope you feel better than you look, but judging by your face I find that unlikely.”

He gaped, and Barbara took it like a champ, smiling warmly even as the young man forced himself upright.

“Oh Babs… _no_.”

She sighed and slid up against the bedside resting a hand atop is.

“Honestly, it’s not so bad, I’m used to it. Didn’t take me out of the game. I just help from behind a big screen now and plenty of people keep me company. Was I bent out of shape at first? Sure. But who wouldn’t be? Don’t worry your head over me. Seems like I was luckier in another time, hmm?”

Dick looked positively grief stricken, but nodded all the same, squeezing her hand tightly.

“Guess so…”

“Good. Now tell me about your world tough guy. Alfred’s already getting the tea, and I’ve got all the time in the world.”

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Damian was in a mood once it was announced that patrol was cancelled for the night due to ‘special’ circumstances.

Why Grayson felt the need to get all bent out of shape over his younger self was totally beyond him. Regardless of the situation, Gotham did still need protection, and even though there were _others_ within the city patrolling each night, it did not excuse Batman from his duties.

He was tired of watching the man mope in front of the bat-computer, looking for data that simply did not exist, and drone endlessly on the phone with his contacts hoping someone had an answer to their problem.

Damian was certain that no one would. That this would be all on them to figure out. An annoyance to say the least.

His father had been located and informed of their new addition and was due to arrive in a day’s time once he wrapped up whatever case he was working on out of country. He was sure things would go over poorly, that the man would be utterly helpless when it came to coddling the young Nightwing, yet untrusting all the same, and inevitably the two would clash.

All the same, he found the entire situation intriguing.

He knew very little about Grayson and his early Nightwing years. He had plenty of data on his years as Robin, and had pieced together key events in the man’s life prior to his introduction to the family, but it was a known fact that Gotham had entered her darker days long before he ever set foot in the city. The Grayson he knew now was likely to be different, more refined than his younger counter part, less trained… and he was honestly looking forward to analyzing the differences between the two once the youngest of the pair was let off bed rest.

He spent much of the day training in the cave to pass the time, stopping only to rehydrate, and eat lunch when Alfred prompted.

It amused him when evening came about and he caught sight of Dick out of bed watching him from the sidelines. He paid him no attention however, and merely continued his routines, even long after his form retreated.

He wondered what he thought of him. His existence, his _lineage_ , his training… but most of all he wondered what a Grayson not much older than himself was beginning to think of him as a person.

If he had learned anything in the past five years it was that first impressions apparently meant a lot.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

Bruce arrived ahead of schedule, much to Damian’s annoyance, and the eldest Grayson’s relief. The how and why was not important, Damian could only guess what strings he had needed to pull, what really stood out was that his father met their new arrival sans any gear. He approached him as Bruce rather than the Bat, and for him it was very disconcerting to see the ease in which his father accepted someone who was by all means a stranger in a familiar skin.

Dick seemed to take comfort in his company however, and seemed even more willing to open up to him than he had been with Gordon, something that seemed to irk the elder Grayson.

It was fascinating to watch the two interact, and Damian had to assume that Dick’s relationship with his father in his own world had not yet experienced any great fracture… that the two were still unbelievably close. He could see it in the way Dick leaned into the man’s touch, how his father seemed to treat him as though he were fragile and easy to break, and how the young man struggled to resist the urge to crawl into his embrace.

It was nauseating really, and he had returned to his room for some peace and quiet away from the sappy scene, while all the while Grayson watched the two from afar with a peculiar look on his face that Damian just could not place.

-x-x-x-x-x-x-

It was well past 3am when Damian left the solitude of his room to seek out a way to expel his frustrations down in the cave. What he had not counted on was company, and surely not _loud_ company, pitching a fit and having a screaming match with his father.

“Well, that lasted all of six hours…” he muttered as he downed the last few steps of the cave.

To his confusion however, Dick was pacing back and forth in hysterics, while his father looked on with a pained expression.

He paused several feet away, and when both turned to meet his gaze Bruce looked solemn, and Dick looked utterly lost.

“What the hell is all the racket about?” He snipped, stiffening as the younger Grayson seemingly took on a ‘fight or flight’ stance. “What could you possibly be arguing about at this time?”

“ _He came back_.”

And he watched as his father sucked in a sharp breath and looked distressed thereafter.

“Who came back? _Todd_?”

To Damian’s surprise Dick let out a wounded noise.

“He came back, and Bruce- _he let him go_.” Dick’s jaw trembled, and despite himself Damian felt his fists clench instinctively. “He pushed him away. Instead of letting him know that he was going to be alright, instead of saying that it didn’t matter- that he _knew_ he wasn’t of his right mind and he could come home because he was alive and that’s all that really mattered, he pushed him away. Treated him like some…some insane _villain_ we put behind bars, when it wasn’t his fault.”

Damian tilted his head and looked up at the screen. He frowned looking at the various documents strewn about it and sighed.

Dick had been snooping since he had a lack of answers to important questions.

He _had_ warned them.

“He’s _killed_ people Dick. More than I can count. He has changed. We have tried to get him help, on multiple occasions, and he has refused to back down. That is not how we do things and you know that. He’s made his decision.”

“No!” He snarled, stomping forward. “ _You_ made the choice for him. He died Bruce. Talia got ahold of him. He was tossed into the pit! Psychologically he’s a mess, and instead of legitimately trying to help in the right ways, you went _Batman_ on him and treated him like your average criminal instead of a damaged son!”

To Damian’s surprise his father flinched.

“Dick- you have _not_ been here. You do not know the circumstances nor the details of the heinous acts Jason has committed over the years since he has been back. I don’t expect you to understand-“

“No, I _don’t_ understand!” He snapped, tossing his arms into the air, before turning to point in Damian’s direction. “I don’t understand how you can push aside a son who died and came back traumatized, disown him because he has killed, when here you have another son whose past you completely and utterly disregard! This kid grew up with blood on his hands, he was raised with assassins, he came into your life knowing and having practiced dozens of ways to effectively _murder_ an opponent, and yet he lives in your home, has your trust- has your _love_.”

Damian’s lip curled into a silent snarl and he honestly would have given _anything_ to currently have his old katana or a particularly sharp batarang on hand even if it would have re-enforced the younger Grayson’s view on him. He did not like his upbringing brought into conversation without his consent let alone by a total stranger. Not when he had worked so hard to change his ways.

To give Bruce credit, he seemed to pick up on his mood, and held a hand out to stop Damian before any attempt at retaliation could begin.

“This is different son…”

“No, Bruce, it’s _not_. Because if Damian can be born and raised a killing machine, groomed since birth to be an assassin, and change despite how he might have been when you first got your hands on him… why couldn’t you just welcome Jason with open arms and give him that chance too?” And with that Dick stormed off back into the med bay and left father and son standing there stunned.

Damian had to admit, that was not at all what he had expected, and the young man certainly had a point.


End file.
